


Carrot Cake

by belivaird_st



Category: Carol (2015), The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2019-04-14 20:04:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14143515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/belivaird_st/pseuds/belivaird_st
Summary: Therese has trouble opening up to Carol about a lousy day at work, but hopefully a piece of carrot cake can make things a little better...





	Carrot Cake

**Author's Note:**

> Another one of 50s’ vintage Carol fluff one-shots. I know I’m good at writing those, because they are together through happy, loving times and rougher ones too....

The Apartment, Manhattan New York 1954

“I won’t be able to help you unless you talk to me, Therese,” Carol said gently, taking both their plates away towards the kitchen sink to wash and rinse them out. Therese simply sat in her chair pouting at the decorative table piece of speckled painted eggs and a large white bunny rabbit holding a basket. Easter was just around the corner and both of the women only celebrated the religious holiday for Rindy’s benefit. Carol’s daughter loved painting eggs, having her egg hunts at church, and believed in the actual rabbit itself. Carol was actually going to pick her up this Sunday right after to church to go spend the evening having dinner at her in-laws.

Therese, however, was not looking forward to it, but that wasn’t the reason why she was acting so upset. Today at work she lost her portfolio and spilled coffee all over her blouse. She caught a few of the guys and the brand new female secretary whispering about her. Therese had completely shut down and booked it. She left the Times’ office building early and spent the rest of the afternoon hiding at the public library.

Carol had picked her up, and saw the large coffee stain on her blouse. “One of those days, huh?” she said after kissing her and reaching over to close the passenger car door shut. Therese didn’t say a word and just glared on. And with dinner ending now, she still hadn’t said anything.

“If it’s that coffee stain, sweetheart, we can fix it at the Laundro-Mat. Or buy a new blouse! How does that sound? I wish you would try to talk to me, Therese. If there’s anything I can do-” Carol started.

“I left work early today,” Therese spoke abruptly. “I spent five hours at the library...”

Carol gazed at her, stunned.

“I was having a horrible morning. I lost my portfolio, I spilled my coffee, and I even heard some of the guys whisper about me with the new secretary.” Therese scraped her chair back and rose from the table. Carol playfully pouted along with her before stepping towards the brunette to collect her in her arms. Therese tried turning her face away as Carol tipped her chin.

“You kept this boiling inside of you this entire time? Amazing how you haven’t blown up yet,” Carol laughed lightly. She pressed Therese against her, rocking themselves until the younger woman pulled off and shifted her socked feet.

“Am I really that strange to you, Carol?” Therese mumbled. “Hearing you say it the first time didn’t bother me so much. But today when I heard it from that secretary, I guess it just stung.”

Carol smiled at her amusingly. “You’re the strangest of them all, Miss Therese Belivet,” she spoke so mystically. Like Glinda the Good Witch. “But I must remind you that the best ones are!” 

Therese sighed and then shuffled away into the parlor room to play a few notes on the piano. Crestfallen, Carol watched her go and then quietly finished cleaning all of the dishes. Soon she remembered there was still a piece of carrot cake left that Abby made for them. Carol opened the frigidaire and pulled out the paper plate with the slice of the crumbly cake wrapped in plastic. She tore the wrapper off and grabbed a fork and carried it out of the kitchen into the next room. 

Therese was playing Mozart and her fingers stalled a bit once Carol placed the dessert neatly on top of the piano. She pulled her pink silk belt robe tighter around her as she got comfortable on the rosa colored couch, folding her legs in between. She quietly listened to Therese play the piano, hitting the high notes with such elegance and grace and knew that things would get better in the meantime. All you had to do was to believe, and for Carol, she had believed it deep in her heart.

-End


End file.
